Ms. Sullivan

I do not have any chaperones yet for our field trip on Thursday to Wells Reserve.  It is a fun trip and will be beautiful weather!  I can take 3.  Please let me know if you can come.

On Monday and Tuesday we took the NWEA tests on the computers in the lab.  One was reading and one was math.  The students worked very hard and the results will be available to you soon.

On Thursday we had a wonderful field trip to Wells Reserve.  It was sunny and hot!  We were able to do lots of hands on activities in the woods, beach and estuary.  Thank you to Mr. Bickford, Mrs. Krutuleski, and Mrs. Rynne for chaperoning.  It were a great help!

I handed out this month's mystery book project.  They have the directions on one side and the 1st draft area on the back of it.  When they finish their book and first draft I will give them the paper for the final draft.  We are planning out when the book should be finished so that they will have time to do the project.  It is due October 31, but can get handed in sooner if it is done.

 The students have been researching the country they are going to be coming from when they become immigrants.  They are now putting together their passport.  You may want to help them come up with an appropriate ethnic name.  That is our next step.

Our next available date for a mystery reader will be November 2 so let me know if you or a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sister, brother, etc. would like to come in to read.  It can even be someone you work with like a police officer, librarian, etc.  We welcome anyone!!!

Remember tomorrow is a 1/2 day.  Also fundraiser forms were due today, so get them in as soon as possible.

Have a great week! 

We started literature circles this week.  There are 3 groups and each student has a "job" for the day.  They may come up with questions from their reading to ask the group, find interesting/hard words, passages they liked, etc.  Then they meet in their group and have a discussion about the chapter through these "jobs".  They are doing a great job with it.  It is fun to listen to them talk about the books.

We finished our second unit in math.  Now we are on to multiplication so get those dusty flash cards out and start practicing again!!

Our passports to America and our posters about the country we came from are done.  Next week we will be working on immigration letters.  These are letters that we write back to the families we left in our home country.  We tell them all about our voyage and what America is like.

I will be sending home a paper soon explaining everything you need to know about our Immigration Day on October 31.  So keep your eyes open!

On Monday I will also send home a permission slip for our field trip to the Ham and Weeks Mine.  We go October 26th and can take as many chaperones as want to come, but you do need to drive yourself (and your child if you wish).  There will be a place on the slip to indicate that you would like to come.  I will give you directions when I get those back.  

Thank you to Mrs. Borden who was our Mystery Reader this week.  She read a great book about the mysterious ship, The Mary Celeste. I am still looking for November mystery readers.

We have a school store here at Sea Road School which will be opening on Monday.  It is open every Monday at lunch time.

Just a reminder to start collecting items for our Holiday Fair basket.  We are doing a pet basket so anything having to do with pets would be great!

Have a great weekend!  Hopefully the weather will improve! 

Immigration Day is drawing nearer!  On Monday I will be sending a paper home that will tell you everything you need to know about that day.  It is 2 sided and includes the activities of the day, when you can come see the immigrants, and what the students need to have that day.  You may want to start thinking of an ethnic food that comes from the country your child is immigrating from.  It does not need to be a big meal as we do not have much refridgerator storage or access to a stove.  They will be tasting the foods during snack time.  Also start gathering up an outfit they can wear.  Boys can roll up there pants and wear long socks to look like knickers with a white shirt or even a vest over it.  If you have an old hat that would look good as well.  For girls, a long skirt, plain shirt and shawl or even a scarf over their head would look good.

In reading, our literature circles have been going great!  We will be finished with these books by the end of next week.  We will be focusing on different literary elements next.

Hopefully you have all seen a permission slip for the Ham and Weeks mine trip.  We will be going there next Thursday, October 25th.  If you do not have all the materials on the permission slip don't feel like you have to go out and buy them.  We can all share once we get there.  A bucket is the most important part, but not too big or they will fill it with rocks and not be able to carry it!!  

We have been busy working on our multiplication facts in math.  Their fact triangles are going home tonight so try to practice with them every night.  The quicker they know them, the easier math will be.

Our volunteers and mystery readers have been great.  Thanks to all who come in to help out.  It is greatly appreciated!

Have a great weekend! 

We had so much fun digging for rocks today.  We found a lot of quartz, feldspar and mica.  Some of us were lucky enough to find beryl or granite too!  The kids were so well behaved.  Thank you Mr. Fuller, Mrs. LaPoint, Mrs. Whalen, and Mr. Burrows for coming on our field trip.  We are going to keep the rocks at school for a little while to sort and experiment with.  Then the rocks are all theirs to bring home!!  If you have any empty egg cartons at home, we could use them to put together a rock collection.

Over the weekend, I told the students to take their Immigration letter home to make it look old.  They can dip it in tea, coffee, wrinkle it up, burn the edges or rip the edges.  Also, they need to have an outfit picked out and a bundle ready for Wednesday.  

As a lot of you know and have responded already, I sent home a paper about Parent/Teacher Conferences.  I will be doing them on November 8 and 14.  Please fill out the paper and send it back in as soon as possible.  I will send you a note home telling you exactly when your conference time is.

We are really good with auction items right now.  My box runneth over!  We do need 7 white, 1-1 1/2 inch binders though.  We are going to use them for our portfolios.  If you have any at home that you are not using could you please send them in?  We also signed up for the pet basket for the Holiday Fair.  So, I am looking for any items having to do with pets to fill the basket up with.  People buy tickets for the baskets at the fair and we make money for our school.

I will be out tomorrow.  I will be at a science conference in Portland.  Mrs. Sherman, a retired looping teacher here at Sea Road School, will be in for me.  She is wonderful and will enjoy this class a lot.

Have a great week and again, thank you for all you do!